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I am nominally a writer, marginally an observer and passionately a well, I'm not sure how much I really want to share? As an observer who jots experiences down on occasion, I seem to live for the metaphor. It is often the best way for me to get a point across. Therefore, I am always seeing ways to describe parts of my life by alluding to others.

Yesterday, while driving a distance that can take as few as 20 minutes, I sat for well over an hour in traffic. The background here is that I live in a city that has grown well beyond its infrastructure. To get from one place to another requires travel on surface streets, freeways, and bridges that go both over and float upon the water. We have all grown accustomed to a slow-go when it comes to traffic. I should say we've grown accustomed to a point.

Much of my drive was spent behind a vehicle much larger than mine. I found myself getting more and more agitated as the drive grew to be three times its norm. I'm normally not one to become cross at something as benign as traffic, but the longer I sat not knowing what was to happen next, the more it took to keep myself calm.

It's one thing to be stuck in a jam when you can see ahead; when you can see a reason for the backup. In that instance, you at least know that the road ahead is clear or congested. But to be stuck in a place and not know the cause of congestion or if it's clear or not is the worst!

And here's the metaphor that came to me:Life with MS is not unlike being in traffic behind a bus. Don't you think?

For me, it's the not knowing what is next with this bloody disease that gets to me! I can handle just about anything if I'm given time to plan for it. I can even handle surprise on occasion if I have all the tools at hand to recover. But stuck behind the MS Bus, I sometimes feel as aggravated as I did in yesterday's traffic.

Any metaphors you find in your day-to-day life with MS in it?

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers, Trevis

Last Updated:10/20/2006

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